The Volkswagen Beetle Dune has been unveiled in production guise, almost two years after the concept made its debut at the 2014 Detroit auto show.

Said to be inspired by the Baja Bugs based on the original Beetle, the new Dune is differentiated from other models in the Beetle range with a "more aggressive appearance".

Up front there's a new bumper, which include a black honeycomb grille underlined by a bash plate-style feature and flanked by new fog light surrounds.

Along the sides, the Dune sports black wheel arch extensions, polished aluminium sills, Dune graphics, and a black trim that juts out and is apparently inspired by the original Beetle's running boards.

Out the back, the Dune has a large spoiler, a new bumper design with off-road style diffuser element, and LED tail-lights. On the inside, the Dune features orange stitching and the company's 6.3-inch Composition Media infotainment system. Cars that are painted "sandstorm yellow" will also feature colour-coded upper door and and dashboard panel.

Ride height has raised by 10mm at the front and 15mm at the rear, giving the Dune a bit more off-road ability than standard Beetles, although there's no mention at all of all-wheel drive. The Dune rides on 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/45 all-season tyres.

Under the bonnet the Beetle Dune is powered by a 127kW/250Nm 1.8-litre turbocharged direct-injection petrol engine tied to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The new Dune goes on sale Stateside from 2016 and will be available, at least in the land of the free, in both hatch and convertible guises. The hatch arrives in showrooms there from first quarter of 2016, while the convertible won't go on sale until the third quarter.

According to Karl Gehling, general manager of communications at Volkswagen Australia, the Beetle Dune is unlikely to come down under as the company is currently trying to rationalise its local lineup.